2006-2007 The Kansas Early Career Professional /Mentor Academy

2006-2007The Kansas Early Career

Professional /Mentor Academy

Mentoring in Kansas

Presently in Kansas:

37% of all Kansas teachers leave the field within 5 years

42% of all Kansas teachers leave the field within 7 years

51% of all Kansas teachers are over 45 years of age

36% of all Kansas teachers are over 50 years of ageKeeping and recruiting qualified

teachers will remain a challenge for Kansas

Mentoring in Kansas

Presently in Kansas, there are programs run by:

Individual Schools

School Districts

Educational Service Centers

Universities

Collaborative Alliances

Kansas Early Career Professional / Mentor Academy

2006-2007

PSU’s Academy is oldest running and largest teacher induction program in Kansas. The

program has evolved over the past ten years.


A collaborative effort with

Pittsburg State University

USD 250 and USD 447, 248, 404, 499, 493

Southeast Kansas Special Education Interlocal 637


Both Early Career Professionals and Mentors participated in:

• Six Monthly Seminars

• Weekly School Interactions

• Concluding Wichita Conference

• Graduation Banquet

The Structure


The program trainers include;

Dr. Kent Runyan, Mentor Trainer

Dr. Rozanne Sparks, Early Career Professional Trainer -KPA

Specialist

Dr. Maryln Dishman-Horst, Early Career Professional Trainer

Trainers and Planning Board


Participants• Early Career Teachers (First through third year)

• Early Career Teachers (Post tenure requesting peer assistance)

• Early Career Special Education Professionals (First through third year)

• Early Career Special Education Professionals (Requesting peer assistance)

• Classroom Mentors (Selected for positive attitude, proximity, discipline/grade similarity, and instructional proficiency)


The program is open to all 1st, 2nd and The program is open to all 1st, 2nd and 3rd year professionals and focused on:3rd year professionals and focused on:

Increasing Student AchievementIncreasing Student AchievementImproving Instruction and ManagementImproving Instruction and Management

Socializing Professionals to the School CultureSocializing Professionals to the School CultureReducing Isolation for New ProfessionalsReducing Isolation for New Professionals

Retaining Professionals with Long Term PotentialRetaining Professionals with Long Term PotentialDeveloping Collegiality Among ProfessionalsDeveloping Collegiality Among Professionals

Training GoalsTraining Goals


Early Career Professional Material included such items as:

The First Days of School by Harry Wong

Early Career Training ManualCourse Syllabus - Orientation ChecklistActivity Time Line - Teaching Styles

Parent Conferencing -Management Strategies

Materials for Early Career


Materials for The Mentor:

The MentorshipWhy Become a MentorCharacteristics of Beginning ProfessionalsMentor Communication ActivitiesMentor Characteristics

The Mentorship ManualOrientation ChecklistActivity Time LineConferencing and Coaching GuidelinesTeaching and Learning Styles InstrumentsClassroom Data Collection InstrumentsVideo-taping GuidelinesNational Board Certification Portfolio Material


Throughout the year, various instructional leaders covered

important educational topics tied to local school initiatives and common beginning teacher

concerns.

Topics


Topics for the Classroom Teachers

• School and Community Orientation

• Effective Parent Professional Conferences

• Student Learning Styles

• Classroom Management Strategies

• Positive Discipline

• High Expectations for Every Child

• IDEA and the Classroom Teacher

• The Internet for Effective Lesson Planning

• National Board Certification

• Ending the Year Right


Topics for the Early Career Professionals

• Time Management and Organization Skills• What It Is Like To Be Handicapped• National Board Certification• QPA and Accreditation• Positive Behavioral Support• Attachment Disorders• Adapting Curriculum• IDEA and Legislation • Autism Update


Topics for the Early Career Professionals

•SEKSEC Structure and Personnel•Compliance Issues•IEP’s and Behavior Plans•Accommodations and Modifications•Parent Professional Conferences•Special Education Internet Sites


Training Topics for the Mentors:

• Characteristics and Stages of Beginning Professionals• Characteristics of Growth - Oriented Mentors• Assessing Professional Needs• Assessing Teaching Styles• Using the Internet for Ideas• Brain Research• Coaching Another Professional• Rogerian Counseling• Classroom Observation Instruments• Using Video-taping to Help a Beginning Professional• National Board Certification


Mentor Training Goals

Mentors were trained and expected to:Conceptualize the general characteristics, needs, concerns, and expectations of the beginning

Professional.Interact and communicate in a non-threatening , supportive manner.Assess specific classroom needs using checklists, assessment instruments, and personal

conferences.Analyze, focus, and support specific classroom needs using peer coaching techniques.Use data collection instruments in observing class activities.Incorporate the personal, professional, and personality needs of the beginning Professional into

activities and interactions.Implement developmental activities that will offer additional knowledge, skills, and attitudes

for successful teaching performance.Serve effectively as a developmental mentor who can provide an orderly, personalized

transition from preservice preparation to the first years of teaching.


Establishing Structures (Survival)

• Acquiring supplies and establishing room layout• Knowing school policies, norms and culture• Building collegial staff relationships• Establishing classroom procedures and routines• Setting rules and reinforcing them to gain respect

of students• Expanding subject matter knowledge• Lesson planning for high time on task• Coping with evaluation, other’s opinion, and fear

of failure• Knowing parents and opening lines of communication

•Developing the Science of Teaching•(Mastery)

•Using various models of teaching correctly•Acquisition of innovative techniques, activities, and ideas•Asking classroom questions effectively and providing review and pra•Providing timely assignment feedback and furnishing justification for grades•Clear direction giving, illustration, and transitions so classroom activities move smoothly•Identifying learning styles, characteristics, and needs of class•Providing sponge activities to keep students busy•Managing time pressures

•Developing the Art of Teaching•(Impact)

•Being novel, vivid, and varied in teaching strategies•Achieving equity in monitoring, questioning and feedback•Showing high expectations for every student and motivating all students to succeed•Striving to meet the individual academic, emotional and social needs of students•Developing consistency in enthusiasm, fairness and humorous disposition•Being a role model who shows empathy, warmth, and respect to each student

Program Evaluation:

Theoretical Framework of Development


Other Program Components

College Credit Classroom Assistance

Food, Food, Food Internet Communication

Confidentiality Agreement No Fault, Easy Out Policy

Teacher Work Sample Collaborative PD Plans

State Conference AttendanceGraduation Banquet


Three hours of graduate college credit is made available to all participants during

the Spring semester.

Some school districts will be paying individual stipends to the mentors.

Stipends and College Graduate Credit


Dinner is served at every session!

Food, Food, Food


For the 2001 Christmas session, Dr. Runyan and

Mrs. Killingsworth dressed for the occasion. Door

prizes were even given.

A good time was had by all!

Food, Food, Food


For the 2002 Christmas banquet, Mark Disetti was the guest

speaker and in 2003, Christy Levings. Door prizes were given and the banquets received front page coverage in the Morning

Sun.

Banquets


This year Dr. Runyan will be selecting the menu items, so

watch out!

Monthly Meetings


Funding comes from participant fees

School district cost is $700.00 per Mentor/Early Career Teacher and

covers materials, seminar dinners , trainer & speaker stipends, hotel

rooms, and banquets

Individual school districts will be responsible for KSDE’s Wichita conference registration fee, substitute costs, and travel.


Confidentiality Agreement

With each early career professional and mentor, an Confidentiality Agreement is signed to clearly understand

that no activity will be used for formal performance assessment in contract renewal or dismissal.


A No Fault, Easy Out Policy Form is also signed, if needed, to allow for a process to change the early career/mentor assignment.

No Fault, Easy Out Policy Form


Collaborative Professional Development Plans

With each early career professional and mentor, a Collaborative Professional Development Plan is used to focus classroom activities

each semester. Each plan outlines objectives, planned activities, intended timeline, and verification documentation.

Types of IPDP ObjectivesKnowledge: What you want to know that you did not know before?

Application: What you want to do that you did not do before?Impact: How do you want to change student performance or classroom?


Electronic Mentoring and Communication

All Academy participants are linked through the Internet by email. Here, all early career professionals and mentors will have access to each

other on a daily basis through emails. At times questions will foster diverse “discussion” and updated information will be made available.


Kansas Performance Assessment (KPA) Every first year teacher will construct a KPA with help

from Dr. Sparks to achieve a Kansas Teaching License. It will contain:

Contextual FactorsLearning Objectives

Assessment PlanDesign For Instruction

Instructional Decision MakingLesson ReflectionAssessment Data

Analysis of Assessment DataReflection and Self-Evaluation


Year-End Conference

To conclude the year, both the mentor and early career professional are invited to attend the KSDE Conference in Wichita.

Over two days, past participants listened to such keynote speakers as Thomas Guskey

and Terry Dozier and attended seven breakout

sessions of their choosing.


For a number of years, the mentor and early career professional

stayed together in the Radisson Broadview.

Evening discussions centered on the

points made by the keynote speakers.


York Educational Symposium

The first night, Dr. York held the Annual Educational Symposium.

The evenings were spent attending symposiums:


Sparks Educational Symposium

The second evening, The second evening, Dr. Sparks Dr. Sparks

conducted her conducted her Annual Spark’s Annual Spark’s Symposium.Symposium.


During the conference, participants choose the sessions they wanted to attend.


Concluding Graduation BanquetMost years a concluding graduation banquet was held at the conference. Guest

speaker was always Dr. Andy Tompkins, Kansas Commissioner of Education.


2003 Graduation Banquet


Graduates are given a

Certificate of Completion by

Dr. Steve Scott, Dean of PSU’s College of Education.

Graduation Certificate


Attending 2002 Mentors and Early Career Professionals

Mentors

Early Career Professionals


2003 Mentors and Early Career Teachers

Mentors

Early Career Teachers


Over past several years, the Academy

has stayed at various hotels.


Also, over past several years, the Academy has hosted the graduation banquet locally.


The Academy meets all KSDE Standards and contains all indicators suggested for quality

Mentoring, Induction, and Peer Assistance programs. The program has

received local publicity with newspaper and

television coverage.


The program has also received state and national publicity in being presented at various conferences

sponsored by: International Mentoring Association

Association of American Colleges of Teacher EducationKansas United School AdministratorsKansas State Department of Education

We have been disappointed. Attendance at our sessions could have been better!


Welcome to a new year!

Documents

2006-2007 The Kansas Early Career Professional /Mentor Academy